The United States Congress directed the Commission to prepare annual demand response and advanced metering reports. Among the items the annual reports must address are the saturation and penetration rates of advanced meters and communications, the annual resource contribution of demand response resources, and the potential for demand response as a quantifiable, reliable resource for regional planning purposes.

To fulfill this responsibility, the Commission conducts a national electric industry survey, FERC-731. Information developed in this survey provides a unique database to support decisions by utilities and government policy makers.